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New Energy Advice Service for all in Lochalsh & Skye (16/8/2010)
A new energy advice service for all householders in Lochalsh and Skye has been launched through Lochalsh & Skye Housing Association.
Unlike telephone and internet based energy advice services that cover the area, Donnie Mackay and Moira Scobbie will be focusing on giving people free advice in their homes so that they will be more able to identify the individual circumstances of householders.
The service, which has funding from the Climate Challenge Fund and the Highland LEADER programme, was set up by Lochalsh & Skye Housing Association to deliver advice and information on a range of energy issues, energy efficiency, the availability of grants, energy supplier tariffs and referral on to schemes such as the Scottish Government’s Energy Assistance Package.
Donnie Mackay, Co-ordinator of the new service, said:
“We want to provide a service that will help people to make the changes and access the support that will lead to them having warmer homes and lower fuel bills. We believe that we can best do that by being out and about across Lochalsh and Skye, visiting people in their homes and getting an understanding of their individual situations.
We will, of course, be working closely with other organisations that offer energy advice, such as Community Energy Scotland and the Energy Saving Scotland advice centre. The advice centre will be launching a postcard marketing campaign in Skye and Lochalsh in September and people will be able to get advice from them over the phone, but they will also get the option to request a home energy visit from me or Moira.”
One of the key reasons for establishing the service is the high level of fuel poverty in Lochalsh & Skye. Donnie and Moira will, therefore, be working closely with The Highland Council and Citizens Advice to help people to maximise their income at the same time as reducing their fuel consumption and costs.
Ian MacLean, Chair of Lochalsh and Skye Housing Association, said:
“We are delighted to be able to offer this service to all households across Lochalsh and Skye. Fuel poverty is at an alarming level in this area and we want to give people practical advice about how they can make their homes warmer and, hopefully, reduce their energy bills.”
In addition to helping individuals, the advice service also wants to work with community groups, both as a means of getting information about energy efficiency out to as many households as possible, and to get community-wide projects underway. In particular, the service invites inquiries from village hall committees and community groups anxious to identify measures that could reduce the running costs of community buildings.
Morag Hannah, Manager of Citizens Advice in Portree, welcomed the new service, saying:
“Many people in our area have difficulty in paying their fuel bills. The key factors include low disposable household income, the high cost of domestic fuel and poor energy efficiency of properties. This new service offered by Lochalsh & Skye Housing Association, to raise awareness and assist residents deal with fuel poverty problems, is both welcome and valuable especially in a time when we are all facing financial cut backs.”
If you would like advice about how you might reduce your energy consumption, or perhaps have an elderly relative or neighbour who might benefit, please phone 01478 612035 and ask for Donnie Mackay or Moira Scobbie of the Energy Advice Service.
Affordable housing development in Plockton gets its first residents (27/7/2010)
The first residents of the new Lochalsh & Skye Housing Association development at Burnside, Plockton moved into their new homes last Monday (19th July). The development of 15 rented and 9 shared equity houses, which was built with £2.3m of Housing Association Grant, is the first significant affordable housing to be built in Plockton for many years.
The houses, all of which have front and rear gardens, have been built to high standards of design, making use of traditional materials such as slate, timber cladding and natural stone. High levels of energy efficiency have also been built in, and all the properties feature exceptional levels of insulation and air source heat pumps.
The warmth will be a welcome change for Lennie Eardley, one of the first new residents. Mr Eardley moved to a caravan at the airstrip in Plockton on the first of April 1978. He worked locally and lived in a succession of caravans, only getting electricity installed when he got his most recent caravan in 2007. Having suffered a stroke on the 13th of March last year, life in the caravan for Mr Eardley became very much more difficult. So, although admitting that his new surroundings will take a bit of getting used to, he is very pleased to be in his new home.
Charlie MacRae, Chair of Plockton and District Community Council, who was present for the handover said:
“We are delighted with the houses and pleased to welcome the new residents. We are particularly pleased to welcome young people into the community and hope that this will boost the numbers at Plockton Primary School.”Also present was Lachie MacDonald, Chief Executive of Lochalsh and Skye Housing Association, who said:
‘’The high cost of property in the Plockton area has made it very difficult for local people to secure a home in the area and this development will go a long way towards addressing housing needs. We would like to thank everyone who has contributed towards the successful completion of the development.’’
Minister for Housing and Communities, Alex Neil, welcoming the new development, said:
“This new development is great news for people looking for a high quality, low cost home. The Scottish Government is determined to increase the number of affordable homes and this is why we provided funding to help deliver this development.”
While all the rental properties have been allocated, there are still shared equity properties available. Anyone interested should call John Lamont at Lochalsh and Skye Housing Association on 01478 612035.
Click here to view more images of the Burnside, Plockton development. Thanks to Cailean MacLean for the use of his photographs.
Cancer Warning Signs (8/7/2010) In the Highland region, 1,600 people per year are diagnosed with cancer. More than 1 in 3 people in the UK will develop cancer during their lifetime. Cancer can develop at any age, but most cases occur in people over 60.
The earlier cancer is found, the earlier cancer is treated, the better the chance of a cure. Knowing what to look out for gives you a better chance of finding the disease early.
Click here for a copy of an NHS leaflet which includes some useful websites for your information.
Keeping Debt at Bay (17/5/2010) Paying for electricity in your new home can often be confusing and expensive. Please click here for a leaflet which contains information to help you understand your fuel bills and explains ways you can pay.
It also provides details about the support, including grants and financial aid, that may be available to help make your home easier to heat. Remember, saving energy in your home helps the environment as well as cutting your bills.
Technical Services (13/5/2010)
The Association has employed two joiners to work primarily on planned maintenance such as the installation of windows, doors and kitchens in our existing properties. Angus Campbell and Angus MacIntosh commenced their employment in early May 2010.
We aim to provide a first-class, cost effective service for our tenants, and hope to provide more services in-house in the future.
Hate Free Highland (19/2/2010) The Hate Free Highland website has been developed and is supported by the Highland Community Planning Partnership.
This site is to report only non-urgent hate incidents which have occurred in the Highland area. Police will receive this form during normal office hours.
Click here to go to the Hate Free Highland website. This website is also available through our Useful Links page.
Highland Carers Bulletin (20/1/2010) Highland Community Care Forum (HCCF), now 20 years old, has, over the years built up a portfolio of services for carers including young carers, people with mental health problems, people with learning and physical disabilities and older people. HCCF adopts a community development approach and works in remote, rural and urban localities across the Highland area. HCCF helps users and carers to speak up so that their views and experiences shape local services and support. Their services include advocacy (individual and collective), information, consultation and training.
They carry out small scale social research and use intelligence gained from our work on the ground to contribute to policy development locally and nationally.
If you would like more information, please click here to go The Highland Community Care Forum website, or click here to view the Highland Carers Bulletin 2009-2010.Digital Switchover
Starting in 2008 and ending in 2012, TV services in the UK will go completely digital, TV region by TV region. This process is called digital switchover. The UK’s old television broadcast signal - known as analogue - is being switched off and replaced with a digital signal. Any TV set that is not converted to digital when the switchover takes place will no longer receive TV programmes.
If you would like more information, please click here to go to the Digital TV FAQs website.Draft Documents for Consultation The website has a page showing Current Consultation documents. Please click here to view the draft documents.
Highland LEADER Programme
LEADER is part of the new Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP), aimed at promoting economic and community development within rural areas. It aims to deliver support for rural development by helping those active in rural areas to consider the long term potential of their area.
The initial LEADER budget for the Eilean a’ Cheò area is £477,752. Support will be aimed primarily at small to medium scale, community driven projects that are pilot and innovative in nature. Constituted community groups, voluntary organisations, social enterprises / micro enterprises, or public sector bodies can apply.
The hope is that, by encouraging community involvement and the development of innovative and sustainable projects, this will help to revitalise communities and bring economic and community benefit to rural areas.
The LEADER Programme runs until 2013 and the maximum funding that LEADER will normally provide is 40% (although up to 45% LEADER funding could be available if 45% or more public match has been secured). There is a requirement that a minimum of 5% towards project costs will be provided by the applicant group.Please click here to go to the LEADER website for more information.
The Scottish Government's "Go Greener" Campaign Reducing food waste is currently a key focus for the Scottish Government’s Go Greener campaign, which aims to encourage people to make small changes to their everyday behaviour to help contribute to a greener Scotland. Click here for more information and some tips.
Visit the Go Greener website and you can benefit from fantastic offers and giveaways from a range of partners who are giving their support to the campaign. To sign up to the 10 steps and to see some of Mr Earth's Green Tips and Offers, click here to visit the Go Greener website.
InfoScotland and Fire Safety information The Scottish Government have developed a very useful website called InfoScotland on a variety of topics including health, road safety, teaching, law in Scotland, how to become an organ donor, grants for businesses and many more. Click here to go to the website.
One of the links is called "Don't Give Fire a Home" and has details on how to recognise hazards, smoke alarms, etc . Click here to go to the website.Skye & Lochalsh Young Carers Project The Skye & Lochalsh Young Carers Project website has been launched. Please visit their website. www.skyeyoungcarers.co.uk.
The Calman Trust Information Exchange Project The Calman Trust in Inverness have an Information Exchange project which aims to involve young people in sharing advice and information about leaving home, transition etc. The idea behind this is to address some of the ‘leaving home’ issues that might ultimately lead to homelessness (the focus of the project is not on homelessness, but is more about the things that every young person will need to consider as they leave home). A website which aims to provide information and advice on all sorts of youth issues has recently been launched. You can access it at www.leavinghomeinthehighlands.org. The website offers some very useful information.
In addition, there is a forum on the site http://www.leavinghomeinthehighlands.org/forum/category-view.asp, where young people can discuss a variety of subjects online.
Any Suggestions? If anyone has any ideas, suggestions or comments, please send them to our mailbox at info@lsha.co.uk or phone them in to us on 01478 612035. You might like to suggest articles for the Association's next newsletter, or share useful information with other tenants.
The
Association is registered with The
Scottish Housing Regulator as
a Registered Social Landlord (No. 324) and with the Financial
Services Authority
(No. 2132RS).
The Association is a Scottish Charity No.SC038019